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Will Rodgers has stepped down from his position as interim CEO at Unalaska’s main clinic; a group of scientists wants to eradicate all rats from the Aleutians; and the United States and Russia are continuing to work together on at least one issue as tensions continue to simmer between the two countries.

Unangam Tunuu [Unangax̂ language] classes are available at the University of Alaska for the first time in two decades. Instructors Haliehana Stepetin and Moses Dirks are using traditional methods as a framework for teaching this course.

The governor’s task force to review the effect of bycatch in Alaska fisheries is working to organize against its tight timeline for submitting recommendations to state and federal policymakers. It also has to balance commercial and subsistence interests.

The Qawalangin Tribe has partnered with Aleutian Housing Authority, the City of Unalaska and other local donors to open Unalaska's first official food bank. While items like frozen meat and fish aren't very common at food banks, the Tribe is making an effort to have a variety of nutrient dense and traditional foods available to the community.

Fishermen in the Bering Sea reported spotting at least two North Pacific right whales about 80 miles from Unalaska earlier this month. Scientists say it's likely the first visual evidence of the highly endangered whales feeding in the Bering Sea in winter, and they’re urging fishing boats in the area to exercise caution.

The Museum of the Aleutians’ is working on a project Family Mosaics: Reconnecting family histories and genealogies of Unangan People of the Commander Islands and the indigenous people of south-western Alaska, funded through the National Park Service Shared Beringian Heritage Program.

Researchers looking into the decline of Steller sea lions over the last decade noticed that the concentration of mercury levels in lion pups was increasing in some parts of the Aleutian Islands — but they didn’t know why. Now, a group of scientists from around the nation are working to solve that mystery with a research project called Aleutian Mercury Dynamics. The project’s goal is to create a timeline to see mercury levels in the Aleutian Islands over the last few thousand years.

Researchers looking into the decline of Steller sea lions have noticed that the concentration of mercury levels in lion pups was increasing in some parts of the Aleutian Islands; UCSD administrators say they anticipate ending the testing requirement for students who play contact sports, and that they need to start considering what other layers of mitigation measures to start peeling back; and a fisherman from Seldovia is collecting stories from fellow Gulf of Alaska fishermen that will eventually be sent to the Library of Congress.

The Pacific cod fishery may have started about ten years earlier than originally thought, at least on a small-scale level, according to a recent peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Anthropological Research.

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter and its 140 crew members returned to California late last month after a nearly 80-day patrol in the Bering Sea. The 418-foot Waesche — a vessel longer than a football field — traveled more than 12,000 miles since departing Alameda in November. Its patrol spanned the West Coast, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska.